Gacha Kingdom Building

Since they weren't meant for the students to use in their every day, it shouldn't pose a problem.

The room where we found the schools' yearbooks was the same. Its purpose was to store a few documents, so there was no need for it to be too big. Especially since other rooms also served a similar purpose.

Proof that this room was more than enough was that it allowed all of us to enter and search for what we needed, even if it got a little cramped and hard to move.

Normally, a cramped space like this should have gotten hot pretty fast

I thought it was a little strange that it didn't happen considering how many people were inside, however, since it was nighttime, I thought this was simply a result of the night's low temperature.

Yes... It was nighttime... So the temperature lowering was a given...

Edmond: "I think I recognize some names from cases of previous years... Maybe this is linked to the recent kidnappings?"

Miwen: "..."

Recently, on nights like this, nobles had been reported missing. Five cases in total depict students who have gone missing from their bedrooms.

Given their status as nobility, the victims share a few characteristics such as their backgrounds.

Interestingly, these victims also seem to share close relationships with a few specific families rumored to partake in different kinds of shady business.

Still, the greatest common denominator between them is the fact that all the victims are students of this academy.

But scrutinizing the school for this is a fool's errand. They are students of this academy because of their noble status, and it's probably the same reason why they are being targeted.

The academy's only crime would be that it exists as a gathering place for nobles.

Moreover, it's impossible to hold the academy responsible for crimes that have happened outside of school grounds.

The victims have disappeared from within their homes, only to later appear without injuries in random alleyways throughout the capital.

The victims disappeared from their rooms and were later found in random alleyways. The school can't be held responsible for this as nothing is leading to the academy grounds.

Miwen: "...The modus operandi is completely different. I doubt they are related."

I'm a bit bad with etiquette. And I hardly make an effort to improve.

This sometimes creates situations like this.

While it seemed normal for me to outright contradict and deny the prince, for the bystanders, especially his entourage, this action is perceived as a little uncouth.

I'd like it if Edmond was that archetype of a romance game prince. The one who prefers people to treat them casually due to how exhaustive it can be to have everyone always licking their boots.

Since he only judges me silently, allowing the heavy atmosphere to tell me how out of line I was, it seems like this is true for him at least a little bit.

However, since I'm not a cute girl, it doesn't seem to have the devastating effect that this type of media always preaches.

Suffice it to say, while he didn't say anything, my carefree attitude wasn't earning me many affection points.

Edmond: "...Haah... We're not going anywhere like this. I need more information, so I'll continue reading the books."

I didn't complain about his decision.

While I gave my advice, the only ones I cared about would decidedly follow my words.

As for him... He's an adult.

He and his guards had the right to ruin their night's sleep. It wasn't my place to interfere.

I thought to myself that this was fine. I had no reason to protect them as much as I did the girls.

But as they made their way out of the room...

Edmond: "Nathan...?"

One of Edmond's guards who is also a student at the academy...

He is athletic and popular, good friends with Lenard, and also happens to be another capture target for the heroines.

Sadly, his route is not considered one of the main ones as it does not progress the story until the end of the academy.

The girls easily finished his route when playing with Sabrina, but the ending was completely open-ended.

Also, since he's a bit of a playboy, the girls hated it.

I remember finding this to be ironic, to say the least, but I suppose their hate was because of his actions and attitudes. Not exactly just because he plays around for most of his route.

Still, within Edmond's guards, he's probably the strongest physically.

So it was a bit of a surprise to see he couldn't open the door.

Even more surprising was that their entire groups didn't manage it.

I couldn't help but find it funny. All of them ganging up on the poor handle, unable to make it budge was starting to look like a sketch straight out of a slapstick comedy.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little, but the joke got old the moment Mia returned to me after she also failed to open the door.

I didn't even bother trying it myself.

Mia's not the type to be very patient with pranks. The moment she couldn't open the door, she went for the wall.

With a punch that should have been strong enough to shake the entire building, she managed to... not even scratch the wall.

Neither the wall nor the door should be able to stand a serious punch from Mia. Something had managed to get us into its trap.

Edmond: "...Enough. I need answers. Butler, answer me. What happens at the end of the books?"

Oh...

He was definitely dying for the chance to put me back in my place.

However, that was wholly unnecessary... I could even say it hurt my feelings.

As a capture target myself, this guy had lost a bunch of affection points. He might as well go for a different route.

Miwen: "I thought it wasn't necessary to go into detail since everyone should've already realized that it ends in tragedy."

That should have been enough.

The details weren't important. Especially since each book had its own... "theme".

Edmond: "That's not enough. What exactly happens?"

But he still had a valid point.

In this situation, retaining information wasn't good, and he had no reason to trust my judgment. It was better for everyone to know the same things and come to their own conclusions.

I would've commended him for this. But he only acted in this manner due to his anxiety, which wasn't the best.

It had clearly affected everyone, and with other people, it might've led them to panic.

If he's going to take the role of the leader, he should know the responsibility that comes with it. Even if he's the most worried, he should hide his feelings to the best of his ability.

It was still a fact that I had information no one else had though.

And so, I agreed it was better to share the books' endings with everyone.

This way, I could at least prevent the situation from getting worse.

Miwen: "If you insist... The Bard's Delirium, probably like all the other books is akin to a diary. But it's not written by its protagonist. Someone is watching them. Someone who's criticizing his every decision. With envy.

With hate. The book ends with him going mad over a song that repeats in his mind and forces him to remember the girls he left behind. It's said that the song is lovely, better than anything he could think of. He's fallen for it but hates that he cannot replicate the song. Eventually, he hits his head against the wall. And the sound...

is pretty similar to what he was hearing... He tries it again... With more strength, the sound gets closer... and then, he feels his head breaking through the wall-"

Edmond: "I see-"

Miwen: "Uhuh. I also took a look at Roots Of A Lie. Just to confirm it. This one has the protagonist getting buried alive. He feels his veins stretching into the soil and roots start to penetrate his body. It starts with every cavity, but then they forcefully enter his eyes and-"

Edmond: "I said enough!"

But it was not.

I made the important information clear from the start.

The people depicted in the book were the ones they were dedicated to.

In other words, past students of this academy.

This should have been enough to crack the case.

But there was one detail... that was important in another manner.

A clue I'd rather not give, believing we were able to solve this without it.

Believing it would be better for the girls to not know...

Miwen: "The books end in tragedy. But not explicitly in death."

Edmond: "...What? You just said that-"

Miwen: "The liar screams for help, but no one hears. He should've died as soon as his veins stretched out. But he screamed... The book ends with him screaming. He should've died, but he was forcefully kept alive. I hope I don't need to explain what this means."

While it is an absurd way to look at it... [Light Magic] can defy reason when it is used to prolong someone's life.

Someone like Nissa... Or a Saint like Sabrina and Gabriella could probably do something like this for an indefinite amount of time.

Day after day, as long as they safely replenish their mana and don't waste it, they might be able to maintain a person in a dreadful state for a ridiculous amount of time.

That is to say... As we walk through the academy... there are no guarantees we are not stepping on... leaning on... or passing by... the victims.

Edmond: "...We will leave through the window."

Great idea.

Changing topics, that is.

It was as I predicted.

The contents of the books didn't lead any of them to any conclusion about the mystery.

It just locked their minds in the absurdity. The anxiety increased, and fear started to rise.

Attacking the windows also didn't help. Edmond's entourage couldn't scratch no matter how powerful the magic they cast or the punches they threw.

And to make matters worse.

The air was getting colder.

Miwen: "Sorry about that. There was no need for you guys to hear it." chapter-source-NovelFire

Neither Bea nor Mia answered me.

Their silence had different reasons. Bea was deep in thought. She probably understood the truth behind this but did not say anything.

On the other hand, Mia was clearly shaken by what I said. She did her best to hide it, but... She was as good at it as me.

That's to say... Not very much.

Isabella: "...Do you think this is my fault?"

Another sign that things weren't so great... Isabella was now questioning her role in all of this.

Miwen: "As much as everything else."

It seemed like she was taken aback by it, her eyes drifted away from mine for a second...

But while it was true that there was a high chance that we ended up in this situation thanks to her Gift, especially since we wouldn't even be on the committee if not for it... The reality is that she is not responsible for it. She can't choose what comes her way, and while it is to varying degrees, the same holds true for everyone.

There's no point in placing the blame on anyone for the result of bad luck.

Miwen: "Which means it would be stupid to blame you. So hang on and give it your best, alright? That way we're easily going to solve this."

Isabella: "...Do you have any ideas?"

Miwen: "One. But it's the same as always, Isa. My job is simply to push you in the right direction. It will depend on you if you make the jump or not."

Each second that passed by made the temperature drop more and more at an increasingly faster pace.

It didn't take long for it to become unbearable for most of us.

Thankfully I had a fluffy and warm wolf to hold, and the witch also started getting close to me to share body heat, so I was actually having a good time. Hell, I wouldn't even mind staying this way for a few more hours.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said for the others.

And their ideas were starting to deteriorate as a result of the panic.

Edmond: "I'll cast fire magic to-"

Miwen: "In a closed room?"

Edmond: "It won't spread, my control is-"

Right... The room being full of documents is also a problem, but...

Miwen: "You won't be able to keep up without suffocating everyone."

Every mage worth a damn can create their own element out of pure mana.

At least a little bit of water or air, or even fire.

However, unlike water or earth, fire needs to be fueled constantly to exist, not only to be controlled. If not by mana, then with something else.

Edmond would have to increase the output to match the lowering temperature throughout the night without losing control and allowing the flames to consume the oxygen.

It's pretty simple to scale how difficult this would be.

Beatrice couldn't do that if the temperature kept increasing at the pace it was.

That for me said enough. While it would be worth trying as a last resort as it would be worth delaying death even if by one second, it would simply guarantee our deaths one way or another if done precociously.

It was better to preserve the mana, so, neither Bea nor I tried it.

Edmond: "Any better ideas?"

Rather than me, It would be better to ask Isabella. With the situation getting worse, she started to come up with a bunch of different ideas for me.

Her first idea was to get everyone to the Kingdom, that way, we wouldn't have to deal with the cold.

She also thought we could bring items to help us by rolling on the gacha.

Frankly, they would probably work to get us through the night. While it might be a desperate situation, [Gacha Kingdom Building] is incredibly convenient for anything that is not an immediate threat.

Actually... Even if we are dealing with immediate threats, it will still be extremely convenient.

Which is why I prohibited any solutions that used resources from my Gift.

I didn't do this because I'm a demon, or because I liked seeing others suffer as she claimed and complained.

It wasn't because I was a demon, or being mean like she claimed.

It's just that there was a better solution.

Not as convenient, that's for sure. But... It would be better for her.

Miwen: "I do have a few ideas... But for now, how about an even worse one?"

Isabella has a problem... Aside from her lack of luck...

In a way, it's a product of her bad luck.

She's naturally self-confident. I've seen it when she thought she was in control.

When she relaxes even a little, naturally and beautifully, she regains it.

When she's on the brink, with no way out, she ferociously manifests it.

The only time it doesn't appear is when she restrains it.

And she represses it almost all the time.

She's afraid of doing anything if she doesn't need to. Because she already expects the worst outcome.

If she allows herself to be confident, she'll try first before worrying about the consequences. And she's afraid of how much that will hurt her.

She'll only do this if there's no other option, and so...

She developed a tendency to count on others.

No matter what, if someone else tries it, there'll be better chances for it to succeed. And if it doesn't... then it's their responsibility and she won't be hurt as much.

It's almost an inferiority complex, although it's completely justifiable that she would feel it is better to leave things to everyone else.

However, if she wants to save herself...

If she wants to secure her destiny... Then she must learn when to take matters into her own hands.

To do that, we must first correct her assumptions.

There are things she can do, even if her Gift will get in the way.

And so as I promised her, I gave a little push to boost her confidence.

Miwen: "...Sabrina, sweetheart?"

I said with a genuine smile.

After all, the Saint held the keys to open the door.

She is the complete contrast to Isabella. Adored and respected by everyone without having to work a bone for it, everything will always be easy for her.

If she wants it, fate will do its best to grant it to her...

Isabella might've wanted to be in her shoes at least once or twice.

Which makes her the perfect target.

Sabrina: "E-eh? Y-yes?"

Miwen: "Let's assume we are dealing with a ghost. Didn't you say you would exorcise it?"

Sabrina: "I... I tried already... I've been trying since we entered the library..."

Miwen: "I see... Did you hear that, Isa? She couldn't do it."

Both of them seemed confused.

But I kept poking Isabella and repeating the words "Sabrina couldn't do it."

The Saint that always has it easy.

Everything falls into place for her.

But this time, even with all of her luck and happy fate, she couldn't do it.

In other words...

Miwen: "I won't allow you to use anything from [Gacha Kingdom Building]. That includes Bea. I also won't solve it for you. Oh, and Sabrina can't do it."

Edmond: "Can you stop that already-"

Isabella: "Ah..."

Miwen: "There's your push. Show me what you got."

I'm sure Bea could have done it faster. But that's because she has more experience than either of us.

Given the circumstances, Isabella's time was actually pretty good. I was proud.

Thankfully we managed to convince her to train a little bit with curses... But even that little was enough.

Once she was in her comfort zone. Once she believed she was able to do it...

And thankfully, since it wasn't a matter of luck, but simple ability... she came through.

We know how much effort she's been putting into everything now that she has a chance.

And so, even though she didn't like the idea of learning about curses, she took every lesson seriously.

To the point where I didn't question for a minute that she was able to break this.

All she needed was to forget about her impediments.

To be confident in her own abilities. And they did not betray her.

She went ahead, and although I gave her a bunch of tips, once she got up and challenged the curse, she dealt with it alone.

Sabrina: "...Wait. How come I couldn't detect it?"

Miwen: "The curse wasn't afflicting us. It has another target. What we were afflicted with was just the [Light Magic] on top of it. Healing, to be more precise. As for our ghost... Someone of your level wouldn't be able to exorcise it.

Or break their curse. Isn't that right, Raella?"

At the small reception desk, the pen drifted beautifully. The pages, once blank, were all being covered, word after word.

The pen was the most noticeable... Even with the skills that boosted my vision, it was almost as if there wasn't anything there...

But if I stared hard enough I could see the shape.

The red eyes that stared back... the uncanny whiteness, just visible enough to slightly fade the colors behind it.

We had found our ghost, and it was in the middle of writing its 50th book.